Handle for automobile battery boxes



Patented `lan. 16, 1923.

`ina-iis HENRY .CLAY nennt, or BUFFALO, Naw YORK'.

HAN'nLEron ATOMOBILE BATTERY Boxes.v

Application led February 16, 1922. Serial No, 537,097.

To @ZZ fro/20mA t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY CLAY BABEL, a citizen of the United States,'residing Vat Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, hare'invented new and useful Improvements in Handles for utofl mobile Battery Boxes, of which the following is a specication.

The invention relates to a handle for automobile battery boxes.

Heretofore battery boxes have been equipped with U-shaped handles having shanks secured in the material of the battery boxes but it has been necessary to bore through the wood of the battery lbox andy counter-bore the same for the reception'of anchoring or securingmeans for fastening the shank portions in the material and this has necessitated covering or embedding the anchoring or securing means in asphaltum or similar substance, which in spite of the supposed acid resisting qualities permits the acid to penetrate to the securing means of the handles with the fatal result of grooving the wood and causing the handles to break or pull out.

The object of the present invention is to prolong the life of battery boxes and to provide a simple, practical and efficient battery box handle of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction, which may be easily applied to a battery box and which will not require the application of such acid resisting material to the battery box for covering or protecting the ywood andy thel fastening means of the handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a battery box handle adapted to be constructed of a single. piece of wire or similar material and capable of being readily introduced into the bores or openings of the battery box and securely locked within the same without employing nuts or similar fastening means.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, itv being understood that various' changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, in which likecharacters of reference designate corresponding parts invention and showing thev same prepara-A tory to applying the handle to the battery box, the latter being in section to illustrate"` l thel downwardly diverging boresv ings for the shanks of the handle.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the handle applied and locked in position in the bores or openings of the battery box.

ln the accompanying drawing in which isv illustrated the preferred' embodiment of the invention7 l designates a battery box handle designed tovbe constructed of stout wire Vor other suitable material and com prising downwardly diverging shanks 2, sideV portions 3 and a connecting'grip vportion il. The downwardlyy diverging lShanks or prongs 2, which are preferably arranged at an angle of 45 degrees are arranged in downwardly diverging bores or openings 5 or openextending downwardly from the upper'edge 6 of the portion 7 of the battery box and terminating short of the loweredge 8 of the same so that the bores or openings 2 do not extend entirely through the portion 7 of the battery box. Inl order to enable the ydownwardly diverging shanks vor lprongs of the handle to be readily introduced into" the openings or bores 5 of the battery boxV the side portions 3 of the handle are bowedor bent inwardly, as clearly illustrated in Fig` ure l ofthe drawing, the bowing orl bending` being preferably1 of angular formation, as shown and the grip portion is preferably bowed outwardly, as illustrated in Figure l to cooperate withthe inwardly bowed side portions y3 for enabling the side Shanks or prongs to be inserted inthe bores or openings 2 of the battery box. Thevshanks or prongs 2 are preferably forced int-o openings 5, the walls of which are tightly engaged by the shanks or prongs and as the said shanks orprongs are forced into the openings 5 the side portionsB of the handle and also the grip portion thereof, are straightened and nally brought to the poing, in which the grip portion ishorizontal and the exteriory side portions are arranged sition illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawdivergent shanks or prongs into the material ot the battery box but it also serves to lock the Shanks or prongs into openings of the battery box so that the handles are able to sustain the weight of the storage batteries ci automobiles without liability ot the handles bending or pulling out and it will be apparent that it .will be impossible for the downwardly divergent shanks or prongs of the handle to pull out while the side portions and the grip portions are arranged vertically and horizontally, as shown in Figure Q. The Shanks or prongs may be roughened or provided with spurs to assist in iirmly and. securely fastening the shanks or prongs in the openings of the battery box.

It `will be clear that by locking the downwardly diverging prongs in the correspondingly disposed openings that it obviates the necessity of boring entirely through the inaterial or" the battery box and it also dispenses with nuts and similar fastening means so that it is not necessary to counter-bore the material of the battery box and seal such perforations or cover such fastening means in the counter-bores by coating or covering same with asphaltum or similar material, as the acid will be unable to penetrate the material of the battery box and'cannot attack the shanks of the handle, whereby 'the lite of the battery boxes will be materially prolonged. Also it will be clear that by constructing the handles of a single piece oi"A wire or similar material in the form shown, that lthe handles for battery boxes will be materially cheapened and that the handles may be applied more quickly and with greater ease than heretofore. While the handles are particularly adapted tor battery boxes yet it will be clear that they may also be employed 'for various other purposes.

Vilhat is claimed is:

l. A handle ot' the character described, constructed ot' a single piece of materia-l and comprising downwardly diverging prongs designed to be embedded in the material ot a battery box, inwardly directed side portions arranged exteriorly of the material of the battery box and a bent grip portion con necting the side portions ot the handle, said bent grip portions of the handle being adapted to be straightened to spread the side portions and permit the shanks to be introduced into position and to cause the said Shanks to be locked :in such position.

2. A handle of the character described, constructed of: a single piece ot material and comprising downwardly diver-ging Shanks designed to be embedded in the material oit a battery box, inwardly directed sidel portions extending from the Shanks and arranged exteriorly of the battery box, and a bent grip portion connecting the side por tions, said bent grip and also said side portions being adapted to be manipulated to permit the downwardly diverging shanks tov be placed in position and to be locked in position.

3. A handle of the character described, constructed of a single piece of material and including a downwardly diverging shank de-v signed to be connected with a battery box, inwardly converging side portions connected with the shanks, and an upwardly bent grip portion connecting the side portions, said bent grip portion being adapted to be straightened to separate the inner ends ot the side portions apart into substantial par-` allelism and thereby to permit the shanks to be positioned for a locking connection with the box.

t. A combination with a. batt-ery box, having downwardly diverging sockets closed at their lower ends, of a handle constructed of a single piece of material and comprising -downwardly diverging Shanks, inwardly di* rected side portions connected with the prongs and an upwardly bowed grip portion connecting the side portions, said bowed gripV portion adapted to be straightened to spread the side portions and permit the Shanks to be introduced into the sockets of the battery box and be locked therein.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.'

HENRY CLAY BABEL. 

